Julian Assange Can Be Extradited To U.S., Says UK Government

Max Goldbart
·1 min read
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Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange could now be extradited from the UK to the U.S.

The decision was rubberstamped by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel this morning and Assange now has 14 days to appeal.

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The Home Office said the extradition would not be “incompatible with his human rights” and that while in the U.S. “he will be treated appropriately.”

Wikileaks said on Twitter it is a “dark day for press freedom and British democracy,” adding, “Julian did nothing wrong. He has committed no crime and is not a criminal. He is a journalist and publisher, and is being punished for doing his job.”

Assange has been in the UK for the past three years and was arrested and incarcerated in HMP Belmarsh in April 2019 for breaching bail, with multiple extradition hearings taking place during this time.

The U.S. Justice department filed 17 charges against Assange for violating the Espionage Act – alleging that material obtained by Wikileaks endangered lives, but Asssange’s legal team claimed that classified documents published by Wikileaks, which related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, exposed U.S. wrongdoing and were in the public interest.

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